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Glossary

This section provides detailed explanations of terms frequently used throughout this manual and the user interface.

A — F​

API​

Application Programming Interface. A set of rules allowing programs to exchange data. This gateway uses REST API to enable external systems to query or register values.

bdSeq / seq​

The sequence number of a Sparkplug B message. This is a standard field used to verify message loss or order. General users do not need to manage this.

CIP​

Common Industrial Protocol. The fundamental protocol for EtherNet/IP communication.

CPU Usage​

Indicates how much work the gateway PC is performing, expressed as a percentage. A sustained usage of 80% or higher indicates insufficient resources.

Cassandra​

The time series / configuration store used by this gateway. General users do not interact with this directly.

EtherNet/IP​

An industrial communication protocol used by Allen-Bradley / Rockwell PLCs. Standard port: 44818.

FEnet​

Fast Ethernet. A communication protocol used by LS ELECTRIC PLCs (XGI / XBC / XBM). Standard port: 2004.

Formula​

An arithmetic expression used to post-process tag values. Used for unit conversion, zero-point calibration, etc., in formats such as ${VALUE}*0.1. Other names: Calculation formula / Formula — these refer to the same function. → Apply Formula

G — N​

Grafana​

An auxiliary dashboard tool installed with the system. It visualizes values collected by the gateway through graphs, gauges, and alarms. Default port: 3000.

HTTP Push​

A method where an external system "pushes" values into the gateway, rather than the gateway "polling" values from a PLC.

MES​

Manufacturing Execution System. A system for managing work orders and production performance in a factory.

MELSEC​

The communication protocol (MC Protocol) for Mitsubishi PLCs. MELSEC = MELSEC Communication.

Modbus​

One of the oldest and most widely used industrial communication protocols. Supported by almost all measuring instruments and inverters.

MQTT​

A lightweight IoT messaging protocol. Suitable for sending values from a single PLC to multiple systems simultaneously. Standard port: 1883.

Node-RED​

An auxiliary data flow tool installed with the system. Allows for visual data processing and external integration. Default port: 1880.

NodeId​

The tag address notation for OPC-UA. Example: ns=2;s=Channel1.Device1.Tag1.

O — S​

OPC​

OLE for Process Control. A standard data exchange protocol between PLCs and computers. Previously divided into OPC DA / HDA / AE, it is now unified under the OPC-UA standard.

OPC-UA​

OPC Unified Architecture. The latest OPC standard (IEC 62541). Supported by most SCADA systems, such as Kepware and Matrikon.

PLC​

Programmable Logic Controller. The brain of factory automation. An industrial computer that controls sensors and actuators.

REST API​

An API format based on HTTP. The v1 REST API for this gateway is exposed via the /api/v1/... path. → Advanced — REST API

SCADA​

Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition. A system for monitoring and controlling the operation of factories or power plants. Representative examples include Ignition and Wonderware.

Sparkplug B​

An industrial messaging protocol that standardizes lifecycles and metadata over MQTT. Recommended when communicating with SCADA or MQTT-compatible systems.

S7​

The communication protocol for Siemens PLCs, used in the SIMATIC S7 series. Standard port: 102.

T — Z, Korean​

TCP / UDP​

Fundamental network communication methods. Generally, TCP offers better reliability, while UDP is faster. Most PLC communications use TCP.

TIA Portal​

The authoring and management tool for Siemens PLCs.

XG5000​

The authoring and management tool for LS ELECTRIC PLCs.

Gateway​

A device or software that relays data by connecting different systems or networks. This system serves as the gateway between "field PLC ↔ PlantPulse cloud."

Time Series​

Data recorded in chronological order. For PLC values, this means collecting "what the value was at what time" along a time axis.

auto_collect​

Whether to automatically restart PLC collection upon gateway reboot.

Tag​

A human-readable name assigned to a specific memory location in a PLC. Example: D100 → "Pump 1 RPM".

Polling / Collection Cycle​

The process where the gateway periodically asks the PLC for its current value. Typically set to 1 second (1000ms).

Health Index​

An index representing the health status of equipment, expressed from 0 to 1 (or 0% to 100%). Primarily used by diagnostic solutions like MotorSense.

2026.05 Container Deployment Terms​

Container Mode​

A deployment format where PlantPulse Edge is distributed as a single Docker image (docker.kopens.io/pe/plantpulse-edge). Standard for 2026.05+. Container mode is active when systemctl is-active plantpulse-edge.service is set.

Native Mode​

A direct installation format for versions prior to 2026.05, operated via /opt/kopens/plantpulse-edge/bin/{start,stop,restart}.sh. Container mode is recommended for new deployments.

Image Tag / Build Date​

The identifier for the container image — format YYYY.MM-YYYYMMDD-HHMM (e.g., 2026.11-20261103-1006). The build_date serves as the criteria for OTA comparison. Verify via /api/v1/system/version or cat /etc/kopens/version.env.

OTA (Over-The-Air upgrade)​

Remote upgrade. The box detects a new build in META-INF/VERSION.JSON via upgrade.sh → docker pull → signature verification → automatic pre-snapshot → restart → trial run determination (default 300s) → auto-rollback upon failure.

Pre-snapshot​

An automatic data backup (/data1/pp-backups/pe-backup-<ts>.tar.zst) created immediately before an OTA upgrade. If the new image causes data corruption, recovery is possible via restore.sh.

Pattern B (Signal File)​

A method for requesting host actions (restart/reboot/OTA) from within the container. When the container writes a /etc/kopens/upgrade.request or host-action.request JSON file, the host's inotify detects and processes it. This avoids requiring host root equivalent privileges, unlike the alternative (Pattern A — direct use of /var/run/docker.sock).

cgroup limit​

Memory and CPU limits for the container. Specified as MemoryMax=12G CPUQuota=600% TasksMax=8192 in the systemd unit. For small memory devices like 8GB boxes, adjust via systemd drop-in (override.conf).

credentials.txt​

A collection of random passwords created once by install.sh for each box (/etc/kopens/credentials.txt, chmod 0600). Includes admin / mqtt / opcua / API keys. Printed/saved and the box is sealed upon shipment.

pe-* Tools​

Eight types of operational scripts for container mode (/opt/kopens/install/bin/): status.sh (Status), health.sh (Exit code health check), logs.sh (Component log tail), shell.sh (Bash within container), config.sh (Edit app.properties + restart), backup.sh/restore.sh (Data snapshot/recovery), doctor.sh (Failure escalation tarball).

Terms from Other Products​

PlantPulse consists of four products that share the same asset hierarchy, tags, and points. Terms not listed here can be found in the other three manuals: Platform Glossary · AI Glossary · Studio Glossary.